As advertising is becoming ubiquitous, to the point where you just cannot escape it, while at the same time its effectiveness is going down. The news today that NBC Universal has steadily been expanding into the out-of-home market, partnering with a number of providers to sell ads and/or provide content on various networks, makes me wonder just who the hell is going to buy into this? Most recently, NBC has reached an agreement with an In-Store video operation in which NBC will sell package deals, bundling time on its network with space on Supermarket Checkout TV. All I know is that my local supermarket has these screens all over the place plugging everything from food to diapers. I've never seen anyone in the store take a blind bit of notice. Supermarket Checkout TV has a presence in more than 1,000 stores, including chains Shop Rite and Albertson's, and NBC said the deal will yield 45 million impressions a year. Which we all know is a crock. Impressions mean nothing. That's just shoppers walking by. How many are actually persuaded to buy something by the cheesy videos they studiously avoid? That, I am guessing would be a very hard number to prove to a prospective media buyer.
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Maybe it works in China!
NOW I discover the other side of Parker.....
The supermarket I go to has these screens at all the checkouts, yes. But who wants to leave the checkout after they spent 15 minutes waiting their turn in line -- waiting on price checks and waiting for a manager to bring more nickels to the till -- so they can run back to aisle 12 for a can of cream of celery soup for a great cassarole they just watched being made. The problem is, the stream comes over a satellite sitting on the markets roof. There's no customization. Put these things in every aisle with content specific to that aisle, combine them with the doodads that spit out a coupon, and you MAY have a valuable selling tool.
Posted by: Auntie Christ | July 20, 2007 10:47 AM | Permalink to Comment